Gensou Hyouhon Hakubutsukan ("Museum of Fantastic Specimens") is an online collection of creatures "curated" by Hajime Emoto. The three-story virtual museum consists of 9 rooms chock full of water- and land-dwelling monstrosities from all corners of the globe. (Navigating the virtual museum may be a bit difficult if you cannot read Japanese, so try the links below if you get lost.)

Each specimen has a clickable thumbnail that links to additional photos and historical and background information (in Japanese). The basement contains a bookshop and a cafeteria serving dishes prepared with some of the beasts featured in the museum (such as umiushi sashimi, served fresh from the tank and wriggling on your plate, with a balsamic vinegar sauce).

All of the creatures showcased in the museum are sculpted from paper, modeling paste and bamboo and are completely imaginary, claims Emoto -- perhaps a disappointment for hunters of the legendary tsuchinoko (center photo above) in search of an actual specimen, but an amazing collection of critters nonetheless.

Arjay: The book on Aoki Gallery's "Shop" page is Emoto's. That book, plus another, is also on sale in the Public Relations Office of his museum (located in the basement). Click on the images of the books to go to Amazon Japan. They are priced at just over 2,000 yen (around US$20).

Hajime Emoto is a fantastic artist. I also create similar creatures but I use authentic fish and animal skins, bones and teeth. I would love to contact Mr. Emoto since we share the love of strange creatures.

sahilsihotra

Hajime Emoto! This guy is awesome! The only thing that could make what he's doing any more wild, is if he brought these things to a "living form" But damn! I've been doing art since the day I was born (Yes I can prove that!) & I still can't do what this guy does!
Much love from CSOTYS & NuclearLullaby!

I went to see this guy's exhibition in Kochi Prefecture, Japan the other day and it was absolutely stunning. However, I couldn't describe how amazing it was to my family and colleagues to my disappointment. I managed to find this article and it's been a huge help to my English-speaking colleagues. Thanks very much!